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Presentation on theme: "The Presidential Election of 1932"— Presentation transcript:

2 Historical Context The Republicans controlled the White HouseIn 1930, the Democrats took over the House of Representatives with a majority of 51%, for the first time in over a decadeThey were also one seat away from gaining Senate majority

4 Historical Context- issuesThe Great Depression was the biggest issue of that timeFrom : many economic advances, which Hoover expected to continueHowever, over the next 3 years, the economy and market declined steadilyProhibition was also a prominent issuePeople wanted to bring back alcohol for the tax revenues

5 Historical context- Social climateSocial UnrestProtests by farmers, unemployed workers, and displaced individuals (“wandering population”) in 1931 and 1932“Bonus Expeditionary Force”- veterans demanding to be allowed to cash in their veterans’ bonuses set up camp in the capital

6 Historical contextIncumbent president Hoover’s popularity had fallen greatly since his victory in 1928 and people did not think he could handle the economic crisis or prohibitionThe Republican party had been dominant for decadesFourth Party SystemResult: “Time for a change” effect

7 Party Primaries and Nominations- Democratic PartyRoosevelt had the support of the majority of delegates at the Democratic conventionHowever, he did not have the 2/3 majority to win the nominationMain opposition- Smith and John Nance Garner (Speaker of the House in 1931)First ballot- short by 100 delegatesAfter 3 ballots, Garner released his delegatesFourth ballot, Roosevelt won the party nomination

8 Party Primaries and Nominations- Republican PartyHoover was easily re-nominated as the Republican candidateHowever, there was a battle over the vice presidential nomineeVice President Charles Curtis was challenged by James HarbordCurtis won

9 Party Primaries and NominationsNo significant third party nomineesAmericans were not interested in third party nomineesThey joined the Democrats

10 Candidates- RooseveltWell known for being the governor of New YorkHe had been reelected governor in a landslide in 1930People still remembered his cousin, Theodore RooseveltFDR had been the losing vice presidential nominee in 1920 Downplayed his polio so that the public would think he was fit to run the countryPolio was seen as a lower class disease

11 Candidates- rooseveltAlthough not that well-known, he was very charismaticTried to avoid controversial issues like religion and the KKKTried to appeal to everyone, even some republicansTried to unite the Democratic partyThe Democratic Party was more united during the 1932 election than they had been throughout the whole Fourth Party System, partly due to Roosevelt’s efforts

12 Candidates- HooverJust months after his inauguration, the Stock Market Crash of 1929 occurred and caused the Great DepressionMost of his presidential term was spent in the depressionConsidering Hoover’s commitment to limited government, his policies demonstrated boldnessHoover did more to fight the economic depression than any previous presidentHowever, it was not enoughMany democratic leaders, including Roosevelt criticized him for not taking it far enough

13 Candidates- hoover His programs:Federal loans to businesses and banksPurchases of farm commoditiesSelected increases in federal spendingBanking reformHis policies did little to help the economic situation. Some actually made it worse1930- Republicans enacted the Hawley-Smoot Tariff, which raised import duties to the highest rates everHoover also imposed a major tax increase, which reduced funds to consumers and investors

14 Candidates- hooverVery unpopular, to the point where people threw rotten vegetables at him during his speeches around the country, during his campaignAlso unpopular among his own partyHis party was dividedMany of the more prominent Republicans did not support him and some even strongly opposed himSome of them even supported Roosevelt instead

15 General Election Campaign- RooseveltRoosevelt accused Hoover of being a socialist for his protectionist policiesRoosevelt attacked Hoover for not improving the economic situation and blamed him for the Great DepressionRoosevelt’s strategy was very successful because of Hoover’s overwhelming unpopularityCandidate of ChangeFDR made a historically significant speech when he personally accepted the Democratic party nominationFamous words: “I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a new deal for the American people”

16 General Election Campaign- RooseveltIn the same speech, Roosevelt promised to "abolish useless offices" and "eliminate unnecessary functions of Government"Also promised to restore international trade – as opposed to Hoover’s protectionist trade policiesHis campaign song was “Happy Days are Here Again” and became the most popular in American political history, while also becoming the Democratic Party’s unofficial anthem

17 General Election Campaign- HooverHe promised recovery, but this quickly became a joke when no improvement was seen throughout his presidencyHoover could not do much more than to defend himself and promise recoveryHoover increased taxes and restricted tradeHoover criticized Roosevelt and said he would only worsen the Depression by decreasing taxes, reducing government intervention in the economy, and promoting international trade

18 Election outcome FDR won by a landslideBroke records by winning 472 electoral votesThe region that held the most support for Hoover was the northeast and the New England areaMost of the Rest of the United States, especially in the electoral vote, supported Roosevelt

22 Historical significanceRealigning electionMany states which were previously Republican became Democratic statesEnded a long era of Republican dominance and started a streak of Democratic dominance (Shift from Fourth Party System to Fifth Party System)The republicans would not return to the White House until the nomination of war hero Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952For all but 6 years after 1932, the democrats controlled the House of Representatives, too